National Park Visitation

Tourism

National Park Visitation

increasing

What does this measure?

The number of annual visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, compared to other national parks.

Why is this important?

The park is a huge draw for the region and important contributor to our local economy. Each year, the park draws millions of visitors for hiking, camping and scenic drives. About 94,000 acres of the park lie in Blount County, and one of the main entrances is along Lamar Alexander Parkway (U.S. 321) outside Townsend.

How is our region performing?

The Smokies are consistently the most-visited national park in the country, drawing over 10.7 million visitors in 2015. This was an increase of 17% since 2005 and more than twice as many visitors as the next most-visited park, the Grand Canyon, which had 5.5 million visitors in 2015. All four parks have increased their annual visits since 2005, with Yellowstone showing the largest increase in attendance (45%), followed by Yosemite and the Grand Canyon (both about 25%).